Sand cay evolution on reef platforms, Mamanuca Islands, Fiji

Abstract

The sedimentary link between reef islands and their surrounding platforms is critical to understand if the morphological response of these systems to future boundary condition changes such as associated with human-induced climate change is to be understood. The sand cays of the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji are an ideal system to investigate this link between reef and the islands that have developed on them. The Mamanuca's are a relatively simple sedimentary system being characterised by oval shaped platform reefs with a relatively uniform and horizontal reef crest and flat. Nine islands were investigated within the group through GPS and auto level surveying, with associated surface and subsurfac..